Edwaed k dickerson



'(No Modl.)

B. N. DiGKERSON. PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFAGTURB 0F GAS. No.541,526.

Patented Juneh25, 1895.

INVENTOR WITNESSES Nrrnn STA ES PATENT EDWARD N. DIOKERSON, on NEW YoRK; NI Y.

PROCESS OF AN 0 'APPARATUSFOR MANU F'ACTU RE oF GAS.

To. all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD N. DICKERSON,

. of the city, county, and State of New York,

have invented a new and useful Improvement in Processes of and Apparatusfor the Mannfacture of Combustible Gas, of whichthe following is a full,true, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawlngs.

This invention relates to an improvement in processes of and apparatusforthe manufacture of combustible gas prod uced by bringing Mr itogether two combining materials, which by their chemical action producethe resulting gas, and is especially applicable to the production ofacetylene gas by bringing together calcium carbide and water.

My apparatus is arranged to feed the Water to the calcium carbide or thecalcium carbide to the water intermittently as such feeding may benecessary to supply the gas consumed,

I and in order to accomplish this result I operate said feeding devicesvby a governor which causes the operation of such feeding devicesintermittently as the gas is consumed. As

shown, a governing holder is provided which receives the excess of gasdue to thefeeding in of the gas producing material. It would bedisadvantageous in devices of this kind to connect the feeding device,say the Water feeder intended to spray the water upon the calciumcarbide, directly with the governor in such way as that the Water-cockmight stand open, because the generation of gas is not in- Ist'antaneous, and an excess of Water beyond the capacity of the holdermight be fed into the carbide'before the governor operated. By my deviceI propose, therefore, to feed in only so much water as will not filltheholder to its capacity, and no other charge can be fed to the holderuntil the holder has become emptied to the desired point. The operationboth of feeding the Water to the carbide and of feeding the carbide tothe water is substantially the same in principle. By my device, also, Iprovide for removing the products of decomposition of the carbide,principally lime, without stopping the operation of the machine.

My invention will be readily understood from the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure I represents a vertical elevation,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 541,526, dated June 25, I895.

' Application filed December 26,1894. Serial n. 582,908- (No model.)

an endelevation of the feeding-in valve; Fig.

IV, an'elevation of the same at ri ht angles to Fig. III, mostly insection; Fig. through Fig. IV on the line a; 00;

In my drawings similar numbers refer to similar parts.

I will first describe the operation of the apparatus with'reference toFigs. I, III, IV and V.

1 represents the governing gas holder of any suitable construction; 4,the generating chamber; 11, hopper or water supply connected with thegenerating chamber by pipe 13 and spraying device 16; 12, pipeconnecting generating chamber with gas holder; 5, tumble-bob stop-cockintermittently operating and alternately communicating with the hopper11 and generator 4:; 10, arm for operating the tumble-bob stop-cock; 2,chain connected with'the gasholder and operating'the arm 10.

In the operation, as shown in Figs. I, III, IV and V, the water isdesigned to be fed upon a body of calcium carbide 17 in generator 4. Thefeeding-in cock 5 is provided with plug 6 having therein an angularchannel 7, 8. This cock is operated through a right angle by anyWell-known form of tumble-bob contrivance controlled by governingholder 1. In the position shown in Fig. V, the gas holder has risen andthrown the tumble-bob weight 9 to the position shown in dotted lines inFig. I. At this point, therefore, a charge of water fills the chamber7,8 of the cock. This chamber may be made oblong, as shown in Fig. IV,

to increase its capacity, if desired. In the posithe position shown inFig. I, when it is delivered upon the carbide. The amount of water whichthe cock will contain is not suffi ,asection IOC "be reduced to apowdered condition.

cient when entirely converted into gas to produce gas in excess of thecapacity of the holder and as no additional water'can be received in theholder until after the holder has again been discharged, the apparatusis entirely safe from any over-production of gas. When the carbide 17 isused up it may be discharged by door 20, or preferably washed out bywater pipe 18 through delivery pipe 19. The various pipes in thisapparatus are, of course, provided with suitable stop-cocks to open andclose them as desired. A subsequent charge of carbide is then placed inthe generator 4: and the operation recommences.

In Fig. II, the same device is shown as in Fig. I, excepting that inthis case it is intended to feed the carbide to the water. In this case,of course, it is necessary that the carbide shall It is then placed inthe hopper 11 which may be provided with cover 21 to prevent accidentalescape of gas. In this case the bottom of the hopper 4 is open and issufiticiently below the level of the water 22 to furnish the pressure 11ecessary to deliver to the gas holder 1 through pipe 12. The generatedgas rises through the water and the lime settle to the bottom of thewater receiver 23, whence it can be continuously removed by a flow ofwater through pipe 18, which water escapes through theover-fiow 19.Thelime itself will mostlysettlein the part 24 of the water chamber 23,whence it can be removed as desired, without stopping the operation ofthe device.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The process of producing illuminating gas without the addition ofheat, which consists in intermittently bringing in contact with eachother a determined quantity of a liquid or a solid, which, by theirunion, produce a fixed gas, the said intermittent additions producingdetermined quantities of gas, substantially as described.

2. The process of producing illuminating gas without the addition ofheat, which consists in intermittently bringing in contact with eachother a determined quantity of a liquid or a solid, which, by theirunion, protions producing determined quantities of gas, and ofdetermining the frequency of said production of determined amountsof gasby the consumption of the gas, substantially as de scribed.

3. The combination of the gas-holder 1, the valve 5 having a chambertherein ot' determined capacity, and a connection between the holderandthe said valve for operating the same, the said valve having a chamberof fixed capacity alternately connecting with the feed and the delivery,thereby at each operation duce a fixed gas, the said intermittent addi-"feedin g the measured contents of the chamber 1 into the gas generatingchamber 4, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the gas-holder 1, operating a feeding in valvecontaining a chamber alternately connecting with the feed an i,

delivery of the apparatus, and delivering the contents of the chamber ateach operation, of the generating chamberet connected therewith locatedin the water chamber 23 having its open bottom at a sufficient distanceabove the

